Film Review: The Order (2024)

Sarah Taylor
Monday 20 January 2025
The Order (2024) is a Netflix action thriller film directed by Justin Kurzel. Sarah gives her thoughts on the new release.
Based on a true story and inspired by the book The Silent Brotherhood, the film centres around an FBI agent, Terry Husk, played by Jude Law, and his efforts at trying to stop a terrorist white supremacist group in the 1980s known as ‘The Order’ or ‘The Silent Brotherhood’. The group’s leader, Bob Matthews, played by Nicholas Holt, wants to break away from the group, intending to join an even more extreme group. A book that describes all the steps of terrorism is at the core of the film, as both groups use and follow it - it is this book that becomes invaluable to Terry in stopping them.
The location is uniquely beautiful and a complete contrast to the hate and awful atrocities that unfold. Its vastness indicates space and poses the question: why so much hate when your life is backdropped by beauty?
Bob is surprisingly expressionless throughout the movie, adding to his already dark character, proving himself almost impossible to read. He wears a grin for most of the film as though he knows something the rest of us do not, and displays a certain superiority, never wavering or becoming fazed by external actions or opinions.
Whilst Bob comes across as non-threatening, it is in fact Terry who is much more of a frightening character, driving across the vast terrain to interrogate the inhabitants. What you see is what you get with Terry, but not so much with Bob. We know from his actions that he is a danger to the public but in all his personal dealings he is friendly, softly spoken, and caring, the kind of facade that most dangerous people hide behind. Nicholas Holt is extremely good at portraying this character. He is very understated in his demeanour and only through the group’s actions does he come alive displaying a callous, determined, and hateful side.
Disenfranchisement is given as one of the reasons for Bob being able to recruit. Bob is supportive and encouraging, which can easily be a hook for young people. The viewer questions whose side he is really on, and his warped views on race and ethnicity as well as his possession of two mistresses certainly gives rise to mistrust.
The murders in the film are particularly harrowing, especially with the knowledge of the victims’ complete innocence. In what looks like an incredibly realistic scene, Jamie, a young police officer played by Tye Sheridan is shot and dies in Terry’s arms. The scene is very moving, as we see Terry’s despair that this young and promising man has lost his life. The film is successful in getting the audience to identify with these characters and this scene is a real shock. It was impossible for the audience not to feel anything, especially learning that his family now must live without his presence. The killing of Alan Berg, an American talk show host played by Marc Maron, is equally as shocking, he himself was only fifty when he was cruelly shot down. There is no regard for human life, only the cause.
The music, composed by Jed Kurzel, is interesting and reinforces the various dangerous activities of the group. Seldom is the music of a soft nature or of a romantic nature, its focus is on the violent activities and what the group means to normal people trying to get by in their day to day lives. It represents the daily threat to an everyday existence, always present and bubbling underneath the surface.
The women’s role is an important one and one that finally leads to Bob’s downfall. One cannot help but feel there was a certain poetic justice after one of the women learning about his infidelity informs on his whereabouts. The other is a strong FBI agent determined to destroy the group at any cost. If the film was a lead up to the final scene, then it does not disappoint. The ending is dramatic with Bob firmly staying true to his beliefs and refusing to leave the house which by now is full of fire. The relationship between Bob and Terry is again demonstrated here, when Terry offers him the possibility of surrender and being taken alive. There seems to be a mutual respect between the two characters although one is left unsure what it is based on - they connect on some level, but what that is, the audience is left to ponder.
Copyright free images courtesy of Unsplash.
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Barbara Dawson
Lovely tasty dish. Try it you won’t be disappointed.
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Aunty Liz
Very tasty and cheap. I often have this for tea!
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BETTS
Being a bilingual family (French mother and British father,) living in France I thought your article was extremely interesting . Have you research on bilingualism ? It seems that when the mother is British and the father French and they both live in France their children seem to be more bilingual than when the mother is French and the father is British . This is what we called mother tongue , isn't it ?
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Niamh
Such an interesting article!
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